A Jedi's Flame
by Maulbert
Summary: Vader's internal conflict during RotJ


**_A Jedi's Flame_**

By: Maulbert

He had been pushed to the floor, his arm cut off and he had lost his saber. The boy was a formidable swordsman now. He saw his master behind the boy, walking towards them laughing.

"Good, good," He said, "Your hate has made you powerful. Now fulfill your destiny, and take you're father's place at my side." He watched as the boy turned back to him, a look of pain on his face. He flexed his hand, and deactivated his lightsaber.

"Never." The boy threw his lightsaber and smiled triumphantly. "I'll never turn to the Dark Side. You have failed, your highness. I am a Jedi, like my father before me." _Jedi? _The man on the floor thought.

His master frowned. "So be it. Jedi." He brought his hands forward. "If you will not be turned, then you will be destroyed." Lightning shot from his fingertips, and the boy shot backwards, landing on a generator. The man stood up and walked, limping to his master's side. 

"Young fool, only now, at the end, do you understand." Lightning shot again from his fingertips, and the boy fell to the floor. "Your feeble skills are no match for the power of the Dark Side." He sneered, and fired again, the blue bolts playing across the boy.

"You have paid the price for your lack of vision." Lightning again shot from his fingertips, and the boy screamed in pain, writhing as the electrical currents coursed across his body.

"Father, please!" He screamed to the figure beside the emperor. As the boy spoke those words, a feeling awoke in the man, a feeling he had not felt in years. A sudden vision brought itself before his eyes, and he saw there on the floor, instead of the boy a woman, electricity coursing across her body, pleas of mercy calling out to him from her too. His dear wife, who had died at his master's hand. He saw other deaths, too. Jedi who had died at the sith's hands. He saw Qui-Gon, the closest person he ever had to a father struck down by his predecessor, Darth Maul.

The vision changed, and now he saw pain, death and anguish that _he_ had caused. He saw as he struck down members of the Jedi Council, Mace Windu and Ki-Adi Mundi. Then he saw the first Death Star, as his own former Master Obi-Wan allowed himself to be killed by Vader so that the boy could escape. He saw Bespin, as he cut off the boy's hand, had tempted him to join him in the darkness. Then he saw one final vision: The night before, when the boy had given himself up. A pain racked through his body as he remembered what that boy had said, a simple sentence that even had the power to hurt a Sith Lord.

"Then my father is truly dead."

The vision swirled away, and he was brought out of his reverie as the emperor spoke.

"Now, young Skywalker, you will die." A smiled crossed his face and Vader was sickened. He began to shoot electricity once again from his fingertips. Vader looked at the boy.... no, not just a boy, a son. _His_ son. Created out of love, a love that was unconditional, was accepting, had remained even after he had become a monster. A love that his wife had tried to reach out to him with, and had died trying. A love that this boy possessed, for a father who had never been there, a father he had never known. He looked over at the emperor, a sick pleasure quite apparent across his evil face.

And at that moment, Darth Vader died.

Anakin picked up the emperor, and walked towards the shaft leading to the core of the Death Star. Dark energies coursed through him with no other output, weakening him. The emperor protested, but Anakin ignored his yells of anger.

He threw the emperor down the shaft, and watched as his dark energy swept back up the shaft, bathing everything in an evil blue light. For a moment, he sat there, wondering if he could push himself over the side. He felt a hand on his shoulder, and turned back to his son. His son put his arm around his shoulder.

"Lean on me for support," He said. "We've got to get out of here before this place blows up." Anakin didn't fight, although he didn't feel he had the right to live. The atrocities he'd committed swept across his mind. But Luke insisted and he hobbled down the corridor.

********

The docking bay was full of confusion as imperial officers and troops ran to shuttles, hoping to get off the Death Star before it exploded. Luke continued to help Anakin walk, but he was weakening from the strain. Soon Luke only had the energy to drag him to the shuttle. Anakin watched as his son attempted to drag his limp body up the ramp, and made up his mind. His son was to important.

"Luke, help me.....take....this mask off."

"But you'll die!" He heard concern in Luke's voice, and thought, _Luke, why are you so worried about me? I am going to die anyway. I am hardly a shade of the good person you are and your sister is.... or your mother was. I am not worth sacrificing your life over!_

"Nothing....can stop....that now. Just for once......let me......look on you......with my own eyes." Luke nodded and pulled away the mask. Anakin saw himself in Luke, who looked every bit like him at that age. _But he is a far cry from what I had become. He is everything that I was not._ He smiled, a sad smile. 

"Now....go....my son....leave me...." His weak voice cracked out. His son shook his head, and he saw tears in his eyes. _Don't weep for me, my son._

"No, you're coming with me. I'll not leave you here. I've got to save you."_ Oh my son, so full of faith and determination. Undoubtedly a virtue. So like me in looks, so like your mother in attitude._

"You already have......Luke. You were right.....you were right about me......tell your sister......you were right." _And I was so very wrong. I stole so much from you. Saving my life would steal yet one more thing._

"Father! I won't leave you." Anakin's eyes shut, and his head sank to the boarding ramp. Luke felt tears come forth, and his head bowed._ I will always be there, my son. Whether you see me or not, I will be there._

And at that moment, Anakin Skywalker died.


End file.
